Tech Giants Embark On Initiative To Increase Number Of Women Software Engineers

Computer programming and software engineering simply is not a profession that has been embraced by women. And why would it be—and by anyone, for that matter? Despite the high pay, it isn’t very glamorous—long hours spent sitting in the same spot in front of a computer, requiring a wired-in focus. Since the job won’t change, perhaps the perceptions can. Hence, Google, Twitter, eBay and General Electric have thrown their support behind “Girls Who Code,” an organization aimed at getting female high school students interested in the field.

The 8-week pilot program begins in NYC this summer, in which each student is paired with a woman mentor working at a tech giant. It should hit other cities next summer.

Currently, despite women comprising the majority of college graduates, only 14 percent of computer science majors are female.